By Ryan Berenz
While the Australian Open tennis tournament starts this weekend on ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, Australia is dealing with an epic natural disaster — severe flooding that has devastated much of northeastern Australia. While much of the sports world will have its eyes Down Under for the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, top tennis stars and tournament organizers are using the opportunity to reach out and help flood victims with a special Rally for Relief exhibition on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 10pm ET on Tennis Channel. Here’s the release from Tennis Channel, along with a link for more information on the event:
TENNIS CHANNEL TO AIR RALLY FOR RELIEF FUND RAISER LIVE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Nadal, Federer, Clijsters, Hewitt and others to raise money for victims of Australia’s flood disaster
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13, 2011 -Tennis Channel will pre-empt its regularly scheduled programming on Saturday January 15, at 10:00 pm ET/7:00 pm PT, to air Rally for Relief – a special exhibition being held in Melbourne to raise money for victims of Australia’s flood disaster.
Such stars as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Kim Clijsters, Sam Stosur, Lleyton Hewitt, Novak Djokovic and Pat Rafter headline a glittering list of tennis’ elite who will take the court at Rod Laver Arena.
Tennis Channel plans to provide viewers with a phone number and website to support the cause. For more information about the event click here.